Nest



May 11 1926.

J. J. OWENS ET AL NEST Filed July 15 1925 :mm1-masnuulllmu V www Patented May 11, 1926.

l savant erstes.

JOSEPH OWENS AND MICHAEL CPVJENS, GF MIMICO BEACH, ONTARO, CANADA.

NEST.

Application filed July 15, 1925.

This invention relates particularly to nests for use by broody hens, and our object is to devise a nest which the hen may easily enter or leave as desired, the opening and closing of the door being controlled by the hen itself, and in which the hen, while in the nest, will be free from disturbance from others trying to enter the nest.

A further object is to so arrange the parts which have to do with the operation of the door all on the front of the. nest, so that the fronts may be made up and applied to any box of suitable size which the poultry keeper` may have and which may be convenient for use as a nest, or which may be applied. to any one of a series of nests arranged in a row as they often are.

We attain our objects by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. l is a plan view, partly broken away, of a nest constructed in accordance with our invention, the door being closed;

Fig. 2 a similar view showing` the door open; and

Fig. 3 an inside view of the front of the nest showing' the door closed.

l is the nest, which may be of any suitable shape and size, and 2 the front frame hav ing the opening 3 therein through which the hen may enter or leave the nest. This opening is normally closed by a door l hingedly connected at one side of the opening. This door is preferably cut away at one corner as shown for a purpose which will hereinaftfn appear. A spring 5, tending to hold the door closed, is mounted on the hinge pin 6, one end of the spring engaging the frame and the other end the door. It will be evident, however, that other means than that shown may easily be arranged tending 'to hold the door closed.

Pivoted on the inner side of the door the control member 7. A resilient member or spring 8 has one end secured to the door a little to that side of the axis on which the member 7 swings which is furthest 'from the hinged side of the door, the other end of the spring being connected adjacent the outer end of the member 7. This member 7 has a stop 9 formed thereon which limits the movement of the door under the action ofv the spring` 8, so that when the spring is free to operate the member would extend substantially at right angles to the doen Serial No. 43,678.

Also formed on the member 7 is a crank shaped extension 10 which extends up above the top of the door so as to engage with the upper part of the frame, and this extension is so directet. that when the member 7 eccupies a position substantially at right angles to the door, the extension will engage the frame l and hold the door from closing. To facilitate the operation, and also to prevent accidental slipping of the parts, we may, if desired, mount on the frame l a spring meniber ll having a recess l2 therein in which the extension 9 engages when the door is open.

The operation of the device is as follows. Assuming the hen to be in the nest and desiring to leavefit will put its head through the opening` at the corner of the door hereinbefore referred to, and the hen, by its continued movement, will shove the door open, allowing` the spring 8 to come into operation to swing` the member 7 to its position at substantially right angles to the door, in which position the extension l0 will engage the frame to prevent closing of the door.

1When the hen desires to return to the nest, it will enter the space between the free side of the door and frame, and will, as it passes by, engage and move the member 7 and also the extension 10 so that the spring 5 may act Y to close the door.

The device is also useful as a trap nest in which case a suitable closuremay be employed for closing the opening caused by the cutting-away of the portion of the door hereinbefore referred to.

From the above description it will be seen that we have devised a construction which will satisfactorily attain the objects of our invention as setI out in this specification.

lWhat we claim is:

1. In a nest, a frame having an opening therein; a door hingedly connected at one side of said opening; means continuously tending to swing the door to close the openH ing; and other means normally held inopen ative when the door is closed but adapted to move relative to the door when the door-is opened t0 a position to hold the door open, said means being` adapted to be moved by` fowl passing through said opening to allow the door to close.

2. In a nest, a frame having an opening therein; a door hingedly connected at one Y side of said opening; means continuously tending to swing the door to close the open ing; and other means carried by the door normally tending to oeenpy a position to hold the door open7 but adapted to be held out of actionk by engagement With said frame when the door is closed, said means being adapted to be moved by a 'fowl passing through said opening to allow the door to close.

8. In a nest, a frame having an opening therein; a door hingedly connected at one side of said opening; means tending to swing the door to close the opening; a member pivoted on the inner side of the door; means tending to move said member to a position substantially at right angles to the inner surface of the door; and a Crank shaped extension on said member adapted to engage said frame to hold the door open when the member lies at substantially right angles to the door.

L In a nest, a frame having an opening therein; a door hingedly connected at one side of said openino; means tending to swing the door to close the opening; a member pivoted on the inner side of the door;

'means tending to move said member to a position substantially at right angles to the inner surface of the door; and a crank shaped extension on said member adapted to engage said frame to hold the door open when the member lies at substantially right angles to the door, said member being adapted to be moved by a fowl passing through said opening to allow the door to close.

5. In a nest, afframe having an opening therein; a door hingedly connected at one side of said opening; means tending to swing the door to Close the opening; a member pivoted on the inner side of the door; means tending to move said member to a position substantially at right angles to the inner surface of the door; a resilient member mounted on said frame; and a crank shaped extension on said member adapted to engage said resilient member to hold the door open when the member lies at substantially right angles to the door.

Signed at Toronto this 6 day of June,

JOSEPH J. OWENS. MICHAEL OVJENS. 

